Language in Bilingual Education

This subject explores the complex interplay of languages, cultures, and content in educational settings where instruction is delivered in a second or foreign language, such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), English Medium Instruction (EMI), and Content-Based Language Teaching (CBLT). It examines the linguistic and sociolinguistic dimensions of bilingual education. Students will investigate the interplay between general and specific purpose language use in bilingual settings, analysing the language of different disciplines and its application in classroom instruction. The subject covers discipline-specific terminology, academic writing conventions, and the structures of various genres across subjects. The subject emphasises the cultural aspects of bilingual education, addressing cross-cultural communication challenges and the influence of culture on learning processes and worldviews. Students will learn strategies to facilitate comprehension that promote both content and language learning, with a focus on providing appropriate language support in bilingual classrooms. Throughout the subject, students will reflect on the intellectual and cultural consequences of teaching through multiple languages. They will examine the intricate relationships between culture, language, concepts, and cognition, with particular attention to knowledge transfer between languages in bilingual educational contexts.